Schmidt and Hamblin Named to 2006 Brooks Wallace Award Watch List

BY ANDRES FOCIL

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Arkansas starting pitcher Nick Schmidt and first baseman Danny Hamblin were among the nominees for the 2006 Brooks Wallace Award the National Collegiate Baseball Foundation in Lubbock, Texas, announced on Monday.

The left-handed Schmidt is 7-2 on the season with a 2.77 ERA and a SEC-best .198 opponent batting average. He has five wins against top-25 competition this season and is second in the conference with 104 strikeouts. Schmidt also leads the league in strikeouts looking and ranks fourth in ERA. His 104 Ks are the sixth most in a single season by a Razorback pitcher.

Hamblin is tied for third in the SEC with 14 home runs and is second in the league with 60 RBI. He is the first Arkansas player to collect 60 RBI in a season since Rodney Nye had 78 in 1999. Hamblin has also swiped a team-best 14 bases (14 of 16) this season and is tied for fifth in the league.

The Brooks Wallace Award is presented annually to the national college baseball player of the year. Alex Gordon of Nebraska was the winner of the 2005 Brooks Wallace Award. The Wallace Watch will be trimmed to the semifinalist round by Sunday, May 21, 2006. The selection committee will narrow the list to three finalists following the NCAA Super Regionals and make that announcement in Omaha on Thursday, June 15. The finalists, their head coaches and parents will be invited to Lubbock, where they will participate in a two-day celebration of college baseball on July 3-4.

The selection committee for the Wallace Award is comprised of a national panel of preeminent coaches, sports information directors, former winners and beat media who most closely follow the sport. Voting for the three finalists and the Wallace Award winner will be conducted by confidential balloting with totals tabulated by the J.W. Anderson & Associates accounting firm in Lubbock, Texas.